


Emergency contact - Chapter 4 and beyond

by Flanker27_UK



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:40:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25529827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flanker27_UK/pseuds/Flanker27_UK
Summary: This is a follow on from a challenge by ChillyHollow  in her Emergency ContactThis is my version of what happens next.I am now into this world so hope to add a few more chaptersHope you all like it !
Comments: 27
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChillyHollow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Emergency Contact](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25446814) by [ChillyHollow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow). 



“Why not, I might as well drown my sorrows”

“If you’re sure”

Strike refilled her glass, popped the cap off another bottle of Doom Bar and they chinked and swallowed their drinks.

“Come on let’s get comfy”

Strike had a small, soft, cloth upholstered sofa that was as comfy to sit on as it looked. Given their respective sizes though it just seemed natural to curve herself under the arm of this big man that she’d only just met

_I should be scared, but he’s just about the nicest person I have come across, he makes me feel so safe and that kiss, it’s like nothing I’ve had before._

_Is there love at first sight? If there is this has got to be in the running_

_This? What’s this? I can’t sleep with him. Can I?_

Before she had realised the white wine was gone, Strike was sitting up, wine bottle in hand indicating with his eyebrow

_Why not, I’ve lost everything tonight I might just as well go for it, I’ll never see him again after all. I’ll be in Masham by the weekend anyway_

She reached up, her fingers luxuriating in the soft beard that covered Cormoran’s jaw, it felt so soft, so different to her previous experience of stubbly beards when Matt had unsuccessfully tried growing one on holiday

Drinking her 4th glass of wine that evening, had certainly lowered her defences, she was going to do this, she had only known 2 men intimately, and one of them she’d locked away in a corner of her mind that she now never visited.

“Kiss me again please Cormoran”

Strike obliged, Robin was falling into him, nothing else existed in the world but this big man’s mouth and tongue, she was subsumed into him her head in a whirl, kissing had never been like this before, she wished that it could never stop, his hand was cradling her head each adjusting their positions to give better access. Strikes tongue plundering her mouth, clearly a precursor of his intent to plunder her whole body. She moaned deliciously, groaning and moaning into his mouth

“Please”

Strike’s hands were gently rubbing her back, sending shivers in their wake, she felt her skin was burning, moist lust was curling in her belly, she wanted this man, and she wanted sex so much

 _What’s sauce for the goose……_

“Can we?”

Strikes pupils were blown with desire, he stared at this red haired angel that had saved his brother and exploded into his life, he wanted nothing more than to take her to bed

“Diddle it dit dee, diddle it dit dee, diddle it dit dee”

They both jumped as Robin’s phone rang in her handbag

She grabbed it and swiped the answer button

“Where the fuck are you Robin? This is embarrassing, were all standing here waiting to go home and you are nowhere to be found. You silly cow get the Landrover and pick us up out the front”

Like a bucket of cold water over her Robin gasped and came back to earth

Strike just sat, gently stroking her back, hearing every word, feeling sympathy for this lovely girl who he’d fallen for

_Fallen for, WTF Strike, are you Lucy? You’re not a teenager._

But it was true, he really wanted to get to know this beautiful woman better, to see if she felt the same way

Tears welled up, Robin felt sick, how could she have not realised what the man she had spent nine years with was really like, how she had nearly sleepwalked into marriage with him, thank god for a drug dealer, vomiting stranger, and a big tall tough looking rescuer for opening her eyes

“Well, for Fuck’s sake Robin where are you?”

“About to change my life Matthew, I suggest you get a Taxi, I never want to see you again, tell Sarah she’s welcome to you”

She ended the call and viciously held down the power button till the screen went dark.

Then burst into tears, alcohol and adrenhelin combined to crash her down from the height she had reached with Strike. She sobbed and sobbed, clung to Cormoran like her life depended upon it while he held and soothed her. As a rule he hated crying women, but this was different, he couldn’t have stopped comforting her if he’d tried.

Eventually, she stilled just curled against him.

She looked up, not knowing what she would see, looked up into green caring eyes.

“I must look a fright”

A gentle smile, “not at all, you have had a horrible day, only to be expected really”

“I’m sorry Cormoran, I’ll just get a cab…”

She stopped, realised she didn’t have anywhere to catch a cab to

“Do you, know any, cheap local hotels”

“Oh stop it, you’re not staying in a cheap dump tonight, you can take my bed”

“I couldn’t”

“Of course you could, I can sleep here, I’ve slept in much worse places than my couch in the army, anyway, I couldn’t forgive myself if I let you leave”

Robin’s heart was pounding

“Wouldn’t you like to share it with me, I was going to let you before…”

“There’s no let for me, I think you are a wonderful woman, can we please get to know each other better? I don’t think you are the kind of woman who goes into one night stands Robin Ellacott and I so much want more than that with you. So let’s get you settled and tomorrow we can make a start at getting you sorted”


	2. Chapter 5 The Following Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first hour of the following day

Cormoran watched the sunrise dance across the ceiling of his little flat picking out the familiar pattern of cracks and imperfections over his bed. What wasn’t familiar was the gentle breathing of the girl who was curled against his side, hand trailing across his chest and leg across him, almost like she was trying to keep him as close as she possibly could.

He glanced down at the soft, relaxed face, trouble free this morning, oblivious to the world and where she was. He sighed, hoping she stayed asleep and peaceful for a little longer. She needed the rest after what had been a traumatic yesterday for her.

His sleep had been disturbed by the thoughts of this girl who had just arrived in his life like a car crash. One minute he had been thinking about the performance involved in getting ready for bed when a phone call had changed everything and bought Robin Ellacott to his bed.

Now Strike was quite used to waking up with attractive women next to him. He had a ready repertoire of breakfast; thanks, kiss, yes of course we’ll get together again. All of it merely words to close off an encounter, that while pleasurable, wasn’t something he would want to build upon.

This however was something completely new. For a start there was no need for the post coital condom hunt, although she had been more than willing, Cormoran had suppressed his baser urges because something more primal had engaged him. The need to love and nurture this woman, a stirring of feelings that he thought that he’d crushed for ever, feelings that he believed Charlotte had excised from him.

The kiss that they had shared last night had torn all that down, a volcano of emotion was bubbling under his calm unemotional exterior. For a moment he drifted into what could come of this. Then reality intervened, he must be 10 years older, crippled and not exactly a hot catch for her.

The previous night came back to him, he had fully intended to sleep on the couch, he did fit, sort of, his truncated right leg slotted in ok and the awkward remaining limb could dangle comfortably over the arm. That’s how the night had begun, he had sorted out one of his old Army T shirts for Robin, from the days when his stomach was much smaller. In it she’d looked angelic, it was like a baggy mini dress but it was soft and comfy for her. Mind you he’d had a sharp intake of breath when she’d performed that trick of wriggling, twisting and, with a smile of triumph, extracting her bra from one arm!

Strike had been just doing some wriggling himself, to force the sofa cushions into submission when:

“Cormoran” a plaintive voice, pitched low, he thought in case he had been asleep

“Ok Robin?”

“Not really, would you, would you, mind cuddling me please? Just till I drop off asleep. I don’t mind if you sleep as well. I just don’t want to be alone tonight”

So he had hopped gallantly into her/his bedroom, the carefully placed ropes and furniture allowed him to navigate his flat with ease on one leg. She was sitting up looking at him, makeup washed away nervously biting her bottom lip as he navigated to the bed when she opened up the duvet for him. He’d filled most of the bed and Robin had curled up against his side. He felt a featherlike caress of her lips against his shoulder and a barely audible “Thank you” as she moulded herself to his back.

He had fallen into a sleep, feeling more contented than for many years, more comfortable somehow sharing a bed than when he had room to sprawl out.

He had woken early, not this time with an internal scream and memories of fire and the burning Afghan sun, but a warm relaxed feeling, happiness, a sensation that had been only transient in his life. Thinking back he didn’t remember this feeling in all the years that he had spent with Charlotte.

He didn’t want to disturb Robin, to be truthful he didn’t want to disturb the moment of bliss he was experiencing.

_I can’t possibly be in love with her?_

_Can I?_

But from the second their lips had met it was like he had known her for years, like this person was special to him, like they were meant to be. He had always scoffed at his friend Ilsa when she had described her husband as her ‘Soul Mate’ but now? He understood what she meant. This was different. Fate had bought Robin Ellacott into his life and he was determined to do everything in his power to keep her there. Whatever it took he was going to woo this woman, even after such a short time he couldn’t imagine her not being in his life.

Then he felt her stirring next to him, that stretchy wake up restlessness as you emerge from the cocoon of sleep.

He leaned up and looked at her as her eyes opened

Then they opened wide when she saw him looking so tenderly at her

She relaxed, beginnings of a smile spread across her features and she reached up and stroked his bearded jawline

“Morning Cormoran” 


	3. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast together

Robin stood under the compact shower that Cormoran had guided her to a couple of minutes before. The warm water sluiced through her hair and began to make her feel somewhat human again.

Her body felt warm and relaxed, her mind though was in a total turmoil. Last night had been such a turning point, seeing Matt, the love of her life, so she had thought, screwing his friend from university in that grubby room, obviously not caring if he had been found, had destroyed everything she had dreamed of for the last nine years.

But

But she had just spent the night in another man’s bed, not that anything had happened apart from mutual cuddling. Although that was down to Cormoran rather than herself, she would have willingly given herself to the bear of a man she had spent a few short hours with.

_Bloody hell Ellacott would you have?_

With a clear head she realised that yes she had been drinking but that wasn’t the reason for her willingness. No that was something else, something far headier. That kiss had ignited feelings within that she’d never experienced. She realised that what she had thought was love for Matt was just familiarity, she couldn’t remember feeling the level of desire for him that had burned when Cormoran had kissed her. Yet, he wasn’t conventionally attractive, his askew nose, scarred lip and general overall hairy countenance should, she thought have been a bit of a turn off, but it was far from it.

Lying in his arms last night she had just felt safe, protected, like she belonged and that this was the place she was meant to be.

She squirted the generic citrus shampoo into her hand and set about thoroughly washing her hair. The thought crossed her mind that she would smell lemon fresh after this. A contrast from if she had used Matt’s usual product which was heavy and musky and supposed to make him smell masculine. Nothing like the genuine masculine scent that enveloped her and had surrounded her all night, embedding into her senses and making her feel.

Feel what?

Feel just right.

All in all she felt pretty good, not the hangover she expected, Cormoran had got her to drink a glass of water before she had gone to bed which seemed to have done the trick. Though she had slept better last night than at any time she could remember since moving to London. Relaxed, peaceful, at odds with how she had expected to sleep in a strange bed, with a different man.

With a sigh she turned off the tap and wrung as much water as she could out of her hair. Stepping out of the shower she quickly wrapped her hair in one towel and dried herself with the larger bath sheet that her host had left for her. He knew to leave two towels, there had been a fresh toothbrush for her as well, still in its packaging.

Her heart lurched as she realised, he had everything in place and knew how to cope with a transient female guest. She hadn’t clicked before, this was normal for him, she was just another ship passing through. Easily forgotten, nothing special. She felt her eyes prickling

_Don’t be stupid, of course he’s used to having lots of women pass through. You won’t be anything special. Get a grip Ellacott, where’s your pride._

But if that was case, why had he been such a gentleman? She would have gone with the flow and been uncharacteristically wanton, remembering how she felt kissing him, the thoughts causing a fresh coiling of warmth in her belly _._

Carefully wrapping herself in the big fluffy towel she moved quickly to the bedroom. She could hear Cormoran moving in the kitchen, the soft murmuring of a radio, obviously playing the news. He didn’t seem to be a Radio 1 type person.

What to wear? Well the black dress was pretty functional and wouldn’t indicate a ‘walk of shame’ too much. Like she had been taught by her mum she had a clean pair of knickers secreted in her bag. The bra was good for another day, luckily she hadn’t danced much so hadn’t got sweaty and disreputable the previous evening, paired with the flat shoes she wore for driving she was ok to go. She quickly applied the basic natural look minimal makeup that was her style. And she was ready

Then it hit her

Go

Go where, this warm comfy interlude was just that. A dream away from the reality of the ruin her life had just become.

She stood stock still staring at the back of Cormoran’s bedroom door

_What now? Masham? No she couldn’t face her bedroom at home again._

This she realised was where she had to decide what to do with her life, time to take charge and make it something she was happy with.

Then she remembered Cormoran’s comment when he was getting her settled last night

“Tomorrow we can make a start at getting you sorted”

_OK then, let’s see if he meant it_

She opened the door, and walked through the compact living room towards the signs of life in the kitchen

Robin held her breath and stood in the doorway

He looked up at her

He smiled, his face lit up with what seemed like joy

“Robin, you look wonderful!”

“Breakfast? I usually go for Porridge and Toast but I could rustle up some scrambled eggs if you fancy that”

He quickly poured her a mug of tea out of the pot

“Help yourself to milk & sugar”

Robin moved towards him her hand held out tentatively

He reached out and gently pulled her to his side, his eyes crinkling with pleasure, asking the question as he leaned in to kiss her. She leaned towards him and the fireworks as they gently met were even better than her memories of the previous night.

The kiss deepened and Robin was lost again in this wonderful man

The ‘Clack’ of the toast popping up distracted them and Robin stifled a little giggle as Strike’s stomach rumbled in sympathy

“Let’s get this toast and I’ll pop some more in”

“Then if you want I’d like to help you get sorted and maybe, well Miss Ellacott I’d like to know everything there is about you” 


	4. Getting Robin Sorted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast & later

They sat at Strikes little kitchen table and happily munched toast and drank tea from his huge teapot, covered with a cute tea-cozy obviously hand made with intricate patterns of seashells on it, Robin touched it

“This is nice”

“Hmm, my Aunt Joan made it for me, it reminds me of home”

“Where’s home?”

And the pair chatted together demolishing multiple rounds of toast and another full pot of tea, discovering much about each other, chatting like old friends. Gentle teasing, some laughs, some sad interludes.

Strike learned about Yorkshire, ponies, living in the countryside, about the move to London, her family, her old Labrador, he already knew about the Landrover but he’d discovered how much she loved it! Her ex Fiancé was briefly glossed over

“We met at school and I thought I was in love with him. Cheating Bastard!”

She listened intently to Strike outlining, what to her was an amazing, frightening, intriguing life, he held nothing back about his on and off broken relationship with his “most definite ex”

Strike became very still and serious when he told her about how he’d lost his leg, telling her about the sudden flash that came to him that something was wrong, his instinct kicking in and shouting to the driver, but half a second too late, but time enough to grab one of his colleagues and fall backwards towards the doors of the Viking.

Robin reached across and gently held his hand, looking into his troubled features.

“You know Robin, I’ve never shared that with anyone else. I call it my ‘lizard brain’ call it gut feeling if you like but it’s not something I shout about”

_He’s so open with me, should I tell him about why I left Uni? Not yet, I don’t want it to cloud things when we are intimate_

_INITMATE Ellacott, so it wasn’t the wine last night, you really want to explore everything with this man?_

Heat and desire were coiling inside Robin, she looked up at Cormoran who was smiling gently at her

“Welcome back, where were you then Robin?”

She blushed furiously, then with very uncharacteristic boldness, leaned across the table, slid her hand around his neck and kissed him fiercely.

“Thinking we have some unfinished business Cormoran. But”

“But we have to get you sorted don’t we”

She nodded

“So what do you need”

“Oh not much, A job, somewhere to live and to get to know you so much better”

Her face dropped as she realised the scale of what she needed to do, without the complication of extracting all of her things from the flat she shared with Matthew. She slumped at the scale of her problems

_Fuck, I will have to go back to Masham, just till I get myself together. But that means I won’t be able to see….._

She studied the gentle expression of the man who was examining her intently

“Well, I can give you a job, and after last night I should be able to get Al to sort you out a place, he runs Rokeby’s property empire and certainly owes you a favour. Unless..”

Hope was soaring in Robin, unless?

“Unless what?”

“Unless you can’t be a PA and cope with dating your new boss?”

The arms flung around his neck and covering of kisses was all the answer he needed.

\------

Robin pulled up to the gates of the Mayfair house she’d visited, was it really only last night? She keyed in the code she remembered from earlier, that action was carefully noted by Cormoran who had spent the journey, not as he usually did with nerves and suppressed fear curdling in his belly but taking the chance to study Robin. The careful and competent way she steered the Landrover. The easy way she double de-clutched the heavy gearbox, making what he knew was difficult to do smoothly from his Army days, seem light and easy.

But mainly he was taking the chance to drink in this woman, able to study her while she navigated the awful London traffic. The way her thigh muscles tensed as she pressed what he knew was a heavy clutch, gorgeous, lightly tanned and mostly on show as her black mini-dress had ridden up. She had caught his attention and grinned at him when the traffic had paused

“What?”

“Just admiring the view”

He’d loved it when she had endearingly turned pink and stuck her tongue out at him.

They parked up and made their way to the quite impressive back door of the building, Strike pressed the intercom and waited. It was answered by a grunted “Come up” and a buzz as the door was released.

They walked up the stairs to find Al looking somewhat pale and sheepish sitting on a black leather sofa in what was obviously a ‘bachelor pad’

“Well Al, any luck?”

“Sure you can have the 2 bedroom place that Dad keeps banging on for you to ‘Get out of that dump in Tin Pan Alley’. It’s on an open lease so she can stay as long as she likes. Or you could move in as well….”

Robin looked confused, Cormoran glanced at her “I set the wheels in motion while you were in the shower, I wanted to help you get sorted as I promised”

Al stood and walked over to Robin, “I’m so grateful to you, you really saved me from I don’t know what last night, and I don’t even know your name”

“It’s Robin Ellacott, and it’s not a problem, if you hadn’t been puking I would never have met your brother”

Al handed over a fat envelope and a bunch of keys.

“It’s a nice place, hope you like it”

Robin glanced at the address on the envelope

“I can’t have this, it’s next door, No way can I afford…”

Al stopped her with his hand, “Don’t worry it’s Cormoran’s any time he wants, it’s been sitting waiting for him since dad bought this block. You never know I might see more of him if you’re next door”

Strike reached out and grasped Robin’s hand

“OK? I really would like you to take it”

Dumbfounded Robin nodded, this was like a fairy tale and she was Cinderella.

_Not Cinderella, more like Fiona and Corm is my Shrek_

She couldn’t help grinning at him and thinking she would share that later.

“Shall we go and take a look?”

Just then came a chime from the front door bell

“Who’s that? I’m not expecting anyone, hang on”

Al touched the remote and the wall TV switched from displaying a racing yacht to the view from the CCTV camera mounted outside the front door

“Who’s he?”

All the blood drained from Robin’s face as she saw a furious looking Matthew Cunliffe staring at the camera.


	5. Robin, Sorted!

“That’s him isn’t it, your cheating fiancé?”

Robin nodded forcing down the bile that had risen in her throat. She didn’t understand the feelings that were coursing through her, she had thought she loved Matt, they had been an item for years, surely she must have some of that left?

But she felt just empty, a little afraid and sad that so many years of her life had led here and left her with nothing, just an empty, sick feeling.

An arm went around her waist as Cormoran pulled her into his side

“Alright love, don’t worry, want me to send him packing?”

_Love, he just called me love, no it’s nothing I bet he calls everyone love_

Just his touch reassured her, she felt safe with this man, she felt complete, like she’d found where she was meant to be, a place she had been seeking, unknowingly all her life.

“No thanks, I best go and sort things out, I owe him that at least. I can be civilised about everything”

Cormoran gave her a look

“Yes but can he?”

“Look it’s my house, let me go and see what he wants”

Al went into the sumptuous hall way, polished marble floors with expensive silk rugs, the effortless luxury that he had grown up with that had startled Robin when she had first encountered it.

He opened the imposing shiny black front door, Robin & Cormoran standing a way back, watching.

“Yes?”

“Where’s my Robin, you’ve got her here & I want her back!”

“I’m not your Robin, you don’t own me, though you always acted like you did”

“Robin”

Matthews face crumpled and tears filled his eyes

“Thank god, are you alright, these people, they haven’t hurt you have they?”

Al stood back and let him into the large hallway.

Matthew ran to her and flung his arms around her, she stood stiffly arms at her side while he hugged her. After a while he realised he wasn’t getting the familiar return hug, the murmured apologies that he’d come to accept as his due for staying with her.

He stepped back looking at her, taking in the large, intimidating man standing back giving them room, with a blank expression on his face but a whole daunting demeanour

“Oh Robin, they haven’t have they, they haven’t…. forced you again have they”

Strikes eyes flared at this comment and his fists flexed.

“How dare you, you shit, to suggest my brother or me would do anything like….”

Robin steadied him with a hand gently placed on his strong, muscled forearm, despite the situation she couldn’t suppress a slight tremor that ran through her belly at the hard, masculine feel of him

“No Matthew, nobody forced me to do anything last night, did Sarah force you into that room, force you to screw her brains out”

“Oh Robin, I’m sorry, it was just the drink and we were chatting and things just developed, and you were off somewhere” his eyes slitted, “and it looks like I know where you were now”

“Yes, you caught me out, I was helping Al who had been taken ill, and getting him home safely. When I came back I found you, in that disgusting room. Anyway, how did you find me?”

A sheepish look came over Cunliffe

“I put a tracking app on your phone, when you first came to London, just in case you got lost & I needed to help you”

Another shock, she’d turned her phone on this morning and deleted the flood of texts and voicemails from Matthew without even opening them

“Well I don’t need your help, Cormoran has been amazing”

“What him” said sneeringly

“Look let’s forget about all of this and come home with, me it’s not like anything happened to you is it, we can go back to how we were and never mention the last 24 hours again”

“Well that’s where you are wrong Matthew” she turned and gave a dazzling smile to the man standing just behind her “You see I spent last night in bed with Cormoran.

_Well it’s not really a lie is it_

“You little bitch”

Matthew lunged at Robin, his fist raised to pummel her

Strike moved quickly to stop him, his good foot hit the Chinese masterpiece on the floor and it went from under him, he cursed as his prosthetic leg was as useless as ever and twisted his aching knee as he crashed backwards onto the floor, hearing a heart-breaking crunch as a fist connected.

“Robin!”

He levered himself up right, prepared for the worst

And saw Cunliffe slumped against the hallway wall looking dazed with blood streaming from his obviously broken nose. Robin on her knees at his side looking concerned for him, with her arm around Strike’s shoulders to help him sit up.

And his brother, lovely, kind, soft Al, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, who the closest he got to sport was the TV hopping around cradling and shaking his hand

“Fucking hell that hurt”

A few minutes later, they sat in the kitchen, Cunliffe had been dispatched to hospital with a kitchen roll to mop the blood, and a warning not to consider any charges as the Hall CCTV had captured him trying to hit a woman and Al gallantly stepping in the way and lamping him one in her defence.

Robin, as ever practical, made sure Cormoran was alright, then grabbed a bag of frozen peas out of the huge SMEG freezer in the amazing kitchen and wrapped it in a tea towel around Al’s painful hand.

Cormoran gave his kid brother a cheeky grin

“When that’s better you’re coming down the Gym with me and I’ll teach you how to punch properly!”

\-----

**A few months later**

Al reached out for the box that Robin was carrying up the steps into her flat

“That the last?”

“Think so, he’s just bringing his kit bag”

Al carried the box into the kitchen of the flat that was a mirror image of his own. It felt as much at home to him as his own did. Since Robin had moved next door he had seemed to spend as much time in here as he had in his own. Once he’d tasted Robin’s cooking and found how much she enjoyed it he’s been hard to keep away. Many evenings spent enjoying her food and the company of his brother as well!

“I still can’t believe he’s finally cracked and moved in here you know, he was always adamant that he wanted his own space”

“That’s because Robin lives here now” Strike grumbled from the hall way “Just dump this in the bedroom love”

“OK the kettle is on”

“Of course it is”

Robin still couldn’t believe how her life had changed, the man she had fallen head over heels in love with had also turned into an amazing boss & mentor. She had taken to investigative work like a duck to water. Able to play parts & work undercover as if she was born to it. Helping the Police track down the murderers of the Culture Minister had been down to her ability to work undercover. The publicity that had engendered had meant the business had gone from strength to strength.

Cormoran’s caring resistance to Robin’s charms had lasted only a week, when after a couple of drinks after work they had fallen into bed in his little flat and discovered that they were even more compatible with each other in that way. They hadn’t emerged from his flat till Sunday lunchtime with both of them drained but very happy! She had hesitantly explained how she’d been raped at Uni and was worried about how he might feel about her. Needlessly,

“Hell 20 bad minutes in your lifetime, it doesn’t define you” and proceeded to show her how little it had affected his opinion of her!

But she had achieved other things for the love of her life as well. Finally after so many years her caring and empathy had enabled Cormoran and his father to bury their differences as their growing closeness was a testament.

She still fondly remembered engineering that meeting, here in this flat where, lubricated by good malt whiskey they were finally able to discuss things. Jonny apologising for not trying harder, Cormoran surprised and saddened to learn how Leda had banned Jonny from seeing his son keeping moving to deny him the chance to build a relationship.

As if her thoughts had caused it Jonny appeared in the doorway with a magnum of champagne and a huge bunch of white roses.

“Where’s my Robin? Come ‘ere darling” and folded her into his arms whispering. “You know I can never thank you enough for rescuing Al and bringing Corm back into my life you know”

“That and cooking the best roast dinners I’ve ever tasted”

“Oh Jonny!” giving her, what was he? Step Father to be? A punch, still conscious of the rose gold diamond ring on her finger, that had been offered to her and accepted on a cliff top when they had gone for a long weekend to Cornwall to meet his family, reciprocating the visit to Yorkshire they had also undertaken.

Cork popped and glasses filled, they all gathered round the island in the kitchen Jonny, Al and his girlfriend Ciarra, Cormoran and Robin. Plus Cormoran and now Robin’s friends Nick and Ilsa also there helping.

“A toast to Robin and Cormoran, welcome to your new home and your new life together. Cheers!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finished it!  
> Thanks for letting me play with your story Chilly, I really enjoyed it. I hope you I enjoyed what I did with your characters.  
> I'm hoping we see more of the Rokeby's in Troubled Blood


End file.
